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SGAOAccountability * Integrity * ReliabilityUnited States General Accounting Office General Government DivisionWashington, D.C. 20548B-285535July 24, 2000The Honorable Charles E. GrassleyChairman, Subcommittee on AdministrativeOversight and the CourtsCommittee on the JudiciaryUnited States SenateThe Honorable Christopher S. BondChairman, Committee on Small BusinessUnited States SenateAs you requested, this report discusses various laws, rules, and policiesrelated to the political activities of U.S. Attorneys. For this report, we havedefined political activities as consisting of the following:* Hatch Act partisan political activities: These activities are directed towardthe success or failure of a political party, candidate for partisan politicaloffice, or partisan political group. Examples of Hatch Act politicalactivities include campaigning for a candidate and attending a fund-raiser.* Issue-oriented political activities: These activities involve responding tocongressional, state, or local legislative requests for information,assistance, or testimony and commenting on matters of congressional,state, or local legislative responsibility. Examples of issue-orientedpolitical activities include testifying before a state legislature and makingcomments to the public or media regarding a state proposition orreferendum.Regarding such activities, this report addresses the following questions:* What laws and Department of Justice (DOJ) rules and policies govern U.S.Attorneys' involvement in Hatch Act partisan political activities? Whattypes of activities are permitted and what types are prohibited? To whatextent have U.S. Attorneys been involved in Hatch Act partisan politicalactivities?1 In 1939, Congress passed the Hatch Act (P.L. 76-252), which broadly limited many types of partisanpolitical activities of federal employees. Several decades later, however, the Hatch Act ReformAmendments of 1993 (P.L 103-94) became effective on February 3, 1994, and permitted most federalemployees to actively participate in partisan political campaigns, with certain restrictions. The HatchAct, as amended, is codified at 5 U.S.C. sections 7321-7326.